Final Words
by DigiExpert
Summary: The sweet, innocent look she portrayed on the outside hid the darkness inside of her, the things she had come to hate and hate about herself... Sequel to "The Long Run"


**There's always a way I let go of those I once loved in the past who hurt me. This story is my way of doing so this time around, and though I've changed the situations a bit, how I feel remains the same. What occurs in this story for Lalee did not happen in real life, but it was a twist I added. The song used, Final Words, belongs to Devil's Gift. Yes, I took the song and twisted the meaning somewhat as well. I don't own Power Rangers of course.**

She sat in the back of the smoky room, nursing a bottle of Smirnoff Ice. She never had been able to stand the harder liquor or the taste of beer. She preferred the sweet flavor that hid the dreadful taste. In reality, it was very much similar to her. The sweet, innocent look she portrayed on the outside hid the darkness inside of her, the things she had come to hate and hate about herself. Tonight she had come for one purpose: to hear the new band perform and forget everything else. She had chosen a simple outfit- blue jeans and a black tank top. It helped her to blend into the crowd easily and kept those she didn't want away from her. She would not deal with drunk bar boys looking for a quickie in the bathroom. Some might say that she wasn't safe alone, but that didn't matter to her. It was better this way.

The band began to play after a quick warmup session. The crowd cheered for the female front and she knew that they were most likely fans from the artist's earlier work. She sipped from the bottle, waiting, listening. She'd come here tonight to escape everything else, and she was certain that no one she knew would come here tonight. It was hard enough to find the location, let alone find her in a crowd. That is, until she looked up and noticed the woman coming in the door. _No…_ she thought to herself.

With that one glimpse her mind went racing back to that night, the night she wrote the letter. She remembered the pain she felt as though it were yesterday, the tears she'd cried before and after that night and how she'd never heard any response from that letter. Until now. It was all coming back to her.

_With that, the pencil began to write in a quick, small cursive script across the page. With the emotions and turmoil being revisited, so did the urge to write and to complete the letter that would probably end up in the trash in the end, but would at least help her to write out her thoughts and anger. Through it all, she had never once trashed talked Lalee, though she had every right to and every opportunity. After all, she'd been the one who'd be hurt and dumped. But… it wasn't in her blood to do so. She wasn't that kind of girl and knew she couldn't bring herself to do it, no matter how much of a right she had to do so. Instead, she had even defended Lalee to others that suspected what had occurred and they chastised her for it. Defend? Why should she defend the girl when she'd been the one who'd been dumped? She didn't know why, but knew it was the way she was._

_Chances… it had been all about chances and taking them. After all, why take the easy route out, the easy way. She'd never had the easy way, Power Ranger or not. There was always some obstacle to overcome, something more to challenge herself with. If it scared her, it was worth doing, and the self reward could be no greater. That same attitude that had pulled her through before was nowhere to be found. This was another obstacle to overcome, but she felt as though her strength was nowhere to be found and that her true weakness was showing through, almost as though she were trying to fight Rita's spells once more to keep control. She was losing controlling and spiraling outward—to where she had no idea. What she had once been sure and certain of had been suddenly taken away, and she found herself no longer sure or certain of anything in her life._

_Was this how it was to be? How things were to always be? The pencil now scribbled across the page in a maddened frenzy of lead. Words covered the page and said what she could never say to Lalee face to face because Lalee had rid herself of everything that had to do with the relationship, and most likely wanted to forget it all. Why would a person try to forget everything? She could not fathom why, for she could never forget that the relationship existed, or that it was something good, something to be cherished after the pain left and she had had time to recover. She could hold no regrets, for to regret meant she hated what she had learned from it all. She could never forget those things, the special things that make it all worthwhile. They had become tainted, but were still not meant to be forgotten._

"Hey…" called the voice softly, the same voice she remembered, the same one she used to love hearing. She forced her eyes to focus on the face, the one she'd loved and that her fingers had caressed lovingly. Across the room, she deftly heard a new song begin, the one she'd been waiting to hear.

_You already wasted too much of my time  
While I let your life you slowly destroyed mine  
I'm actually happy that you're gone  
Maybe now you can understand the meaning of wrong_

She looked closely at her, a courage burning deeper in her than before. "What do you want now? Actually, why are you even here?" She smiled slightly, for she knew the exact lyrics that would follow.

_I don't want an apology  
All of your words mean shit to me  
Don't want to hear a damned excuse  
Just keep the fuck away from me_

The lead had gone from a determined voice to screaming the lyrics, but for some reason, they still captivated the listener. Kimberly continued to smile slightly, directing it at Lalee.

"I…" began Lalee, confused as to why Kimberly was smiling at her in such an unpleasant way. She wondered if Kimberly had had too many Smirnoff's, noting the bottle in her hand and remembering how Kimberly had said that she didn't drink…that had been months ago…what had changed so much. Then she heard the next set of lyrics, and her throat became dry.

_Where's your beautiful now  
Haven't seen her around  
Somewhere in your lies  
Never told her goodbye_

"What the fuck is that about?" she asked Kimberly angrily.

Kimberly shrugged. "Nothing."

"It's damn well not nothing. Why are those lyrics parodying my life?" Her eyes went wide as her secrets were told. "You found out, didn't you?"

"You think I'm stupid? That'd I'd be so naïve to not find out. Rumors get out. I simply found out they were true."

_I don't want an apology  
All of your words mean shit to me  
Don't want to hear a damned excuse  
Just keep the fuck away from me_

"How?"

"That's none of your concern. It doesn't matter because if I had any doubt, you just confirmed them as true."

"Then why is she singing about it?"

"Oh that?"

"Yes, that. How does she know?"

"I did some freelance work. Did some song writing. She happened to like my work and added her own touches."

_Hope you're happy  
You pathetic shit  
10 years of this  
And it's gone to far_

Lalee appeared too stunned to even understand what had just been said. "You really think I'd write a song just for you?" asked Kimberly. "You really think you're worth it?" She stood up, grabbing the neck of the bottle. She took another swig.

"Kim, I…"

"Save it, Lalee. It's too late for your excuses. You made your choice and I want nothing to do with you. So whatever you had in your pretty little head, forget it. You deserve nothing from me, not even a goodbye." Kimberly turned to head toward the stage, knowing the song was ending and that it was the last of the first set.

_I don't want an apology  
All of your words mean shit to me  
Don't want to hear a damned excuse  
Just keep the fuck away from me  
I don't want an apology  
All of your words mean shit to me  
Don't want to hear a damned excuse  
Just keep the fuck away from me_

"You're just walking away like a coward," shot back Lalee.

Kimberly spun on her heel. "No, Lalee," she answered coldly. "Coward would be you when you broke up with me via email. Remember? You couldn't bring yourself to face me and do it. Am I doing that now? No. I'm facing you and telling you to stay the fuck out of my life. I don't care what you do with your life. I cared once, and yes, I loved you more than you'll ever know, but that was a different time. Go your separate way and leave me be." She turned and walked toward the stage, toward the woman who was receiving a loud round of applause.

Lalee merely stared, wondering what had become of the girl she had known before. Something had changed, and inside, she wondered if she'd caused that much of a change. What might things have been like if she hadn't?...

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